"Who is going to save our Church? Not our bishops, not our priests and religious. It is up to you, the people. You have the minds, the eyes, the ears to save the Church. Your mission is to see that your priests act like priests, your bishops, like bishops, and your religious act like religious." - Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen, 1972

Apurun already knows the verdict, for sure for sure! As a matter of fact, we all already know the verdict. But we will have to wait until the ink is dried before Rome will share its findings.

That Apurun is guilty of sex abuse is already known, but it should be interesting to see what they have found on all the other stuff he has been doing as the only unmonitored CEO on Guam.

Will the Vatican address his dealings with priests and with Church assets? If they want a poster boy for what a bishop in the Catholic Church should NOT be, then they will throw in the works. It would be a good learning lesson for every other unscrupulous leader, and anyone prone to temptation.

DON'T LET THIS HAPPEN TO YOU is what a guilty on all counts would mean. Or Rome could take the easy road and just nail him on his perversion.

Most of us would just like the matter to go away and never have to utter the name Apurun again. But I hope the Church shows it is serious about cracking down on the sense of entitlement a lot of these bishops have developed.

Last real question is whether Apurun will finally enter into settlement talks once the verdict is made public, or will he fight to keep his ill gotten fortune and completely disregard the victims he ruined? Based on who he is my bet is he goes for the money rather than doing what is right. That has been his track record so far.

But if he has had a true conversion of heart and finally gets to the point of remorse, he will release his estate to the settlement to atone for who he has been.

Regardless, Archbishop Byrnes, our true leader, has called for a year of reparation, so we all need to pray for all victims...those who have come forth, and those who continue to suffer in silence. We are praying for you!

It could be just a coincidence, but the timing of the La Stampa fairy tale portraying Apuron as a victim to preserve the Neocatechumenal Way, may be a reaction to leaked information about the decision in Apuron's Vatican trial.

That thought occurred to me, too, Anon 1:50. One because of the timing of the release of that article. Second, I characterize that La Stampa article as one of the NCW’s tactics to discredit the eventual canonical trial’s findings --- even before the findings were made public. It was as if the article was an advance response. If the conclusion were favorable to Apuron, there wouldn’t have been the need for Pius-the-Putrid and La Stampa to publish such a self-serving article void of supporting documentation and named quoted sources that have direct knowledge. It was a fictional story, more of how Pius-the-Putrid would have liked the story to have been, rather than the truthful reality that the local Church and the local faithful lived through for thirty years.

Hello anon @ 9.51. They do not need for Apuron to be found guilty. This is what they already claim.Actually this is the main idea behind la Stampa fairy tale, which basically took Pius arguments point by point

Let this apu-run nightmare be some sort of a “caveat emptor” for future church leaders. This social climber was able to get away with much because of unbridled deference to clergy. “Trust and verify” ought to be a fundamental principle in our dealings with diocese/parish leaders, otherwise we will revert to square one. At present, a huge number of clergy are not held accountable for blatant aberrations and managerial abuses. The parish and financial councils must be the compass to prevent further destruction of the Church and its patrimony. The finances, for instance, are money held in trust from, by and for the people. A clergyman who uses these funds for personal enrichment and a superfluous lifestyle is a thief and a criminal.

You are making excellent points anon @3.58. These are major existential issues for the future of the Church on Guam.Unfortunately Apuron did not only allow a virtual take over of the diocese by the neos, he also de facto allowed many less than stellar priest to do almost whatever they wished. We basically had a vacuum of leadership that lasted 30 years. I know from reliable sources that there are several measures in the work to address some of the more egregious issues.Of course reversing and normalizing 30 years of absent management, is not a small feat in any way.

How long would it take to get the required signatures? In this day and age of FedEx, UPS, etc. and considering the importance of this case, I would think it shouldn't take more than a few days to a week. Unless there's something or someone else that would enter the picture after the signatures are obtained.

Tim, are you saying that the Red Pope can still do something about the verdict reached, even after the verdict has been confirmed by the judges? Also, who will determine the sentence to be served by Apuron?